by Emily Forbes
She knew the other patrons watching wouldn’t notice. They’d only see Oliver, down on one knee, proposing. They wouldn’t be listening to the words. They’d be caught up in the theatrics. After all, he was an actor. But no matter what they heard and how well Oliver played his role, she knew the engagement was fake and she needed to remember that was all it was. And she had a part to play.
CHAPTER EIGHT
OLIVER WAS STILL down on one knee, waiting. The restaurant was silent, the other patrons all waiting too.
Kat wasn’t used to such a public display and the attention made her mind go blank. She had no idea what her lines were. She wasn’t used to this at all. She felt tears in her eyes but, while they lent authenticity to the spectacle, she had no idea why she was crying.
Somehow, she managed to nod and suddenly applause rippled around them as Oliver sprang up from his knees and gathered her into his arms and kissed her. Despite her knowing his proposal was a sham, his kisses felt real and Kat took some comfort from that. Being kissed by Oliver was a memory no one could take away from her. That was something she could keep.
She was aware of a barrage of camera flashes as people recorded and photographed Oliver’s proposal. She knew the pictures would be uploaded to social media, and perhaps it was all part of the plan—if not Oliver’s then definitely Philippa’s. She understood this was what she’d signed up for: Oliver needed the positive publicity.
The applause died down when they sat. Oliver topped up their champagne glasses before reaching behind him, into the pocket of his jacket. When he turned back to Kat he held a small velvet box in the palm of his hand. He flipped open the lid.
Nestled inside was a diamond ring. Teardrop-shaped, in a high claw setting, it was enormous, stunning but totally impractical in the rough and tumble outback and seemed even more so to Kat when she considered her job. She needed something that was tough, that could withstand getting knocked and wouldn’t tear into the rubber gloves she was always pulling on for work. She would have chosen a bezel setting and would have preferred an opal.
‘Where did this come from?’
‘Philippa picked it out this afternoon.’
His proposal might have felt real but it didn’t take much to shatter the illusion. Six little words.
Someone else had chosen the ring.
He picked up her left hand and slid the ring onto her fourth finger. It was a perfect fit. The deal was done.
A final burst of camera flashes lit up the room.
Kat looked around nervously. ‘The news will be well and truly out before I make it home tonight—you’d better hope my father doesn’t hear about this before I have a chance to explain.’ She needed to tell her family what was going on. She realised, too late, she should have warned them already.
‘I would like to be there when you tell him.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s the right thing to do. It’s courteous and one thing I’ve never been accused of is having poor manners. And it’s important that I meet your father if we’re going to manage to sell this story to the media.’
He was right. Her whole family needed to meet him and she could use his support when she told them of the arrangement. She wasn’t sure how they would react to this news. ‘You could come to dinner tomorrow.’
‘Your weekly family dinner?’ He sounded worried.
‘It’s at Dean and Saskia’s...but if you don’t think you can handle it...’
‘I’ll be fine.’
* * *
Saskia greeted them at the door and Oliver relaxed slightly. Saskia was a familiar face at least.
He didn’t do family but he knew he had to make an exception in this case. Even though he and Kat were only posing as a newly engaged couple, he knew it was important that he meet Kat’s father and make sure he got him on side.
But the warm greeting he’d hoped for wasn’t forthcoming. Saskia barely acknowledged either of them and if she said ‘hello’ he must have missed it. She pulled Kat inside and whispered, rather loudly, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell us, Kat. It’s all over the internet.’
Saskia was brandishing her mobile phone and, without pausing, tapped it and held it up so they could see the screen. A video of Oliver’s proposal, recorded by a restaurant patron last night and uploaded to the internet, was running.
Kat’s face went pale. ‘Does Papa know? Has he seen this?’
Saskia shook her head. ‘No.’
‘It’s not what you think.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘I’ll tell you after we’ve spoken to Papa.’
Saskia picked up Kat’s left hand. ‘Where’s the ring?’
Her hand was bare.
‘In my purse. I was worried about damaging it.’
Oliver knew she was thinking the ring had to be returned. He was finding he was attuned to her thoughts and often knew what she was going to say before she spoke. He was an experienced observer of people, their mannerisms, gaits and habits—it all helped when he was trying to build a character. He was a good mimic of accents too but, while he listened to how people spoke, he didn’t always listen to what they said. It was different with Kat. He was different with Kat.
Kat was definitely upset, obviously worried about her father’s reaction to their news, and Oliver’s own nerves intensified. He hoped he could pull this off. And he hoped it wasn’t a mistake to be meeting Kat’s family en masse. To be breaking this news to them collectively.
He was tense as Saskia led them into the house and Kat introduced him to her father. Tony did not look impressed. Kat had warned him on several occasions about her protective father. Oliver just hoped he gave him a chance.
‘Papa, this is Oliver Harding. Oliver, this is my father, Tony.’
Oliver extended his hand. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.’
Tony’s handshake was firm, his palm rough. He looked Oliver up and down, taking in his neatly pressed clothes, his soft leather shoes, his manicured nails. Oliver was certain he didn’t approve and it bothered him. He wanted Kat’s father to like him. He knew Kat would be influenced by her family’s perceptions of him and he didn’t want anything they said or thought to make Kat think less of him.
‘You’re an actor.’
It was a statement, delivered as though Tony felt actors were on a par with axe murderers.
‘Yes, I am.’ He wasn’t going to apologise for his career choice. He was good at his craft and he made a very good living. He was successful.
‘And American.’
‘Papa!’
‘Settle down, Katarina; an American is as welcome for dinner as the next person. What would you like to drink, Oliver? Will you have a beer?’
‘That sounds good, thank you.’
Maybe the night would go better than expected, Oliver thought as he accepted a drink and was introduced to Roger’s wife, Maya, as well as Kat’s aunt Rosa. Despite doing his best over the years to avoid families—both his own and anyone else’s—he found it was nice to be able to put faces to the names that he’d heard so often from Kat.
The family gathered in the spacious living room; although Kat had described their underground houses to him, he was still surprised by the size of the rooms and the height of the ceilings. The room was large and airy with one window that looked out into the front ‘garden’, which was really just more bare earth with a couple of native eucalyptus trees, an outdoor seating area and a barbecue. Along with the adults, there were several children who ran in and out of the room, interested only in the food that was laid out on the coffee table, but even when Saskia sent them off with their own bowls of crisps the conversational noise level was still high.
Until Kat said, ‘Papa, we have some news.’
The noise level in the room dropped immediately, almost as if someone had flipped a switch or
pulled a plug. Five pairs of eyes swivelled in their direction. Even though Kat had spoken, Oliver was aware that a lot of the attention was focused on him. Kat had said ‘we’ and it was obvious her family were keen to hear what was coming next, and Oliver knew they would be gunning for him if they didn’t like what they heard.
‘It’s nothing to get excited about but we wanted to tell you before you heard anything on the grapevine. Oliver and I are engaged.’
‘What?’ Tony was looking from Kat to Oliver as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Oliver and Kat were sitting on the same couch, not touching, and there was a good several inches between them, but even so, Oliver got the impression that Kat’s father would very much like to pick him up and put him on another chair, far away from Kat, in another room even.
Oliver was watching Tony but out of the corner of his eye he could see both Roger and Dean. He noticed that they both sat up a little straighter in their chairs, waiting for Tony’s reaction, waiting to see if they needed to spring into action. Pick Oliver up and throw him out of the house, perhaps? Oliver didn’t doubt that between the two of them they’d have no trouble managing that.
‘You’re going to marry a man I’ve never met, and you,’ he turned to Oliver, staring him down, ‘you didn’t have the decency to come to see me first.’
Oliver wondered if he was joking. His expression suggested he wasn’t. Did he really expect that a man would still ask his potential father-in-law for permission to marry his daughter? Did people still do that? Oliver prided himself on his manners but, he had to admit, he had no idea about proper proposal etiquette.
‘Papa, calm down. We’re not actually going to get married.’
‘What on earth does that mean? People don’t get engaged to not get married.’
‘I’m doing this as a favour for Oliver. It’s for publicity. It will help his career.’
Dean and Roger were still bristling but at least they’d stayed in their seats. Saskia had excused herself earlier and was busy in the kitchen, and the only person who seemed to be on their side, judging from the sympathetic looks she was sending Kat’s way, was Maya. He wasn’t sure about Aunt Rosa.
‘Would you like to explain exactly how an engagement can help a career?’ Tony was addressing Kat, completely ignoring Oliver.
‘Oliver needs some positive publicity. The media have got hold of a story, a false accusation, and Oliver needs something to deflect attention, something to put a positive spin on things. His publicist thinks an engagement will do the trick. I’ve agreed to help, just until everything settles down again.’
‘And what about you? What do you get out of this arrangement?’
‘You know how the Cooper Pedy Residents’ Association has been fundraising for improvements for the drive-in? Oliver is going to donate money towards the upgrades and also to the flying doctors. I’m doing this for the town.’
‘That’s all well and good but what about your reputation? You’ll have two broken engagements, Katarina. No man will marry you after that!’
Two? What was he talking about? Oliver’s head was spinning as he tried to follow the rapid-fire conversation—perhaps he’d misheard. But before he had a chance to clarify just what had been said Kat was responding to her father.
‘Papa, don’t be ridiculous. No one even needs to know about this one.’
‘Everyone will know about this one though, won’t they?’ Aunt Rosa commented. ‘Isn’t that the point?’ Perhaps she wasn’t on their side.
‘Kat,’ Saskia interrupted as she re-entered the room, ‘have you got any balsamic vinegar at your place? I seem to have run out.’
‘I’ll go and have a look.’
‘We’ll talk about this when you get back,’ Tony muttered as Kat stood up.
‘Oliver, why don’t you give Kat a hand?’ Saskia instructed with a nod.
Oliver didn’t hesitate. Saskia had given him an excuse to escape the heat and maybe both he and Tony needed a chance to rein in their tempers and digest information. Tony that his daughter was engaged, and Oliver the news that Kat was engaged again. He couldn’t believe Kat hadn’t said anything.
* * *
He followed Kat next door, the heat of the afternoon assaulting him as he left the coolness of the underground dwelling to step outside.
‘You’ve been engaged before?’ he asked as the front door closed behind him. He’d wanted a chance to see Kat’s home, to be able to picture her there whenever he wanted to, but he was far too bewildered to take in his surroundings. There were other things occupying his thoughts.
‘Yes.’
Oliver was astounded. He’d asked about an ex-husband, so she could have mentioned an ex-fiancé...she’d had plenty of time.
But then again, why would she have? They didn’t have to know everything about each other. Even if he wanted to.
‘When?’
‘Six years ago. When I was in Adelaide.’
Six years! She would have been so young.
‘What happened?’
He wanted to know everything, even though he was aware it wasn’t really any of his business. It shouldn’t matter but he was surprised to find he felt jealous. He’d wanted to be the first one to propose to her.
He knew he was being ridiculous. His proposal wasn’t real, but part of him liked pretending it was.
‘Mum died.’ Kat’s voice wobbled and Oliver felt terrible for hounding her. She’d told him about losing her mother a few years earlier. He should have remembered that and put two and two together. ‘And I left Adelaide and came back here.’
‘And he didn’t?’
Kat shook her head and Oliver could see tears gathering on her lashes. Was she crying for her mum or for someone else?
He moved towards her, wanting to take her in his arms and comfort her, but she held up a hand. ‘I’m OK,’ she said and her words felt like a slap in the face. ‘Adam came back with me initially but our plan was never to stay permanently. He was a vet. Is a vet. But there’s no work here. Dad had his first heart scare when Mum died. Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing. We thought it was a panic attack but it was cardiac complications, so I didn’t feel that I could leave him to cope with losing Mum alone. Even though he’s got family living next door I didn’t think it was the right thing to do and, to be honest, I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want to leave at all. I needed to have my family around me too. Adam stayed for a while but he didn’t like it here. He was bored. He went back to Adelaide. I stayed.’
‘For the past five years?’
‘Yes.’ Kat turned her back and walked into the kitchen. Oliver followed. ‘In the beginning there was a lot going on. I was upset with him for leaving. I felt he didn’t support me. I was struggling after Mum died and that was our first hurdle, and I figured if we couldn’t get through that together there wasn’t much hope for our future. Life isn’t smooth sailing. I needed to know I could depend on him.
‘When I needed him he wasn’t there for me. He expected to be the most important person in my life, which he was, mostly, but my family needed me more, and I needed them. Adam wasn’t the man I thought he was. Family comes first and there was no room in his life for my family.’
‘Kat, I’m sorry, I had no idea.’
‘Of course you didn’t.’
‘Are you sure about doing the whole engagement thing again?’ Was she really prepared to have another broken engagement just to help him out, because they couldn’t possibly make this work, could they? They came from two completely different worlds and he didn’t intend to get married, ever. She was looking for her soulmate.
‘It’s fine.’
He wished she sounded more convincing but she was no actress. He could imagine how upset she would have been. He knew she wanted to find ‘the one’ and live happily ever after.
‘Are you sure?’ He real
ly needed her to stick with the plan and, despite worrying that he might be adversely affecting her life, he really hoped she meant it. ‘The whole western world will know about this, Kat. That’s the point.’
‘Well, it won’t cause much of a ripple in Coober Pedy. You said yourself that the tabloids will move on eventually. They’ll find another story. A bigger one. They won’t be concerned about you, or us, for ever. It will be fine. I’ll be fine.’
‘And your father?’
‘Don’t worry about my father. I can handle him.’
‘You shouldn’t have to handle him.’ He felt responsible and therefore obligated to help. Kat shouldn’t have to handle her father. ‘This is my fault. I’ve put you in an awkward position, and I need to fix it.’ He was determined to win Tony over.
‘He doesn’t know you. I think it’s just the shock. I probably should have told him in private; maybe I could have explained things better.’
‘I don’t want you to bear the brunt of this. That’s not fair.’
‘It’ll be OK; my father can be a little protective of me but I’ll get him on side. We should get back,’ she said, holding up the bottle of vinegar, ‘before they send out a search party.’
* * *
Kat’s cousins and her father were in the front, and only, garden, standing around the barbecue. Oliver knew this was his opportunity to attempt to fix things.
He knew how important family was to Kat and, if he didn’t, she’d just made it perfectly clear once again. Her family came first. Their opinion mattered to her. It mattered to him too but for different reasons. He wanted to make things easier for Kat but he also needed her family to support, at least publicly, this fake engagement.
Her father and cousins were polite, offering him another drink and making space for him at the grill, but it was clear it was going to have to be up to him to extend an olive branch. That wasn’t a problem; he could do that.
‘I can understand you have reservations,’ he said, extending that branch, ‘but I guarantee Kat won’t be disadvantaged by helping me.’ He wasn’t expecting the barrage of questions that came flooding back to him.